The French defense ministry said Tuesday that the country’s navy had destroyed two drones The US military command also said an American destroyer shot down an anti-ship cruise missile that was “headed in its direction” WASHINGTON: American and allied forces shot down 10 drones off Yemen while two US-owned merchant ships sustained minor damage from attacks, the US military said Tuesday. Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis — who are harassing shipping in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza — claimed attacks on two American vessels the day before. “US and coalition aircraft and warships” shot down the one-way attack drones in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden between 8:00 p.m. on Monday and 12:30 am the following day, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on social media. The French defense ministry said Tuesday that the country’s navy had destroyed two drones over the Red Sea during the night, but it was not immediately clear if they were included in the CENTCOM figures. The US military command also said an American destroyer shot down an anti-ship cruise missile that was “headed in its direction” early on Tuesday, while US forces destroyed a drone and a missile launcher in Yemen the day before. On Monday, two anti-ship ballistic missiles struck the M/V Sea Champion — a US-owned, Greek-flagged grain ship — causing minor damage, while a drone hit the M/V Navis Fortuna, a US-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier, CENTCOM said. The Houthis had said in a statement Monday that they had targeted “two American ships in the Gulf of Aden. The first was ‘Sea Champion’ and the other was ‘Navis Fortuna.’“ The Houthis began attacking Red Sea shipping in November, saying they were hitting Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war. US and UK forces responded with strikes against the Houthis, who have since declared American and British interests to be legitimate targets as well. Anger over Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza — which began after an unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7 — has grown across the Middle East, stoking violence involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.